Two candidates in gubernatorial field offer distinctions to Republican faithful

Sunday

Mar 2, 2014 at 10:39 PM

Chris Kaergard Journal Star political reporter @ChrisKaergard

PEORIA — With three major statewide contests in front of them in just two weeks, local Republicans heard a series of speeches Sunday night that may help them make decisions in the voting booth.

Candidates from three of the four gubernatorial tickets, one U.S. Senate candidate and the two men vying for the GOP nod for state treasurer all made their pitches to the party faithful at the annual Lincoln Day Dinner.

For state Sens. Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard, it was an opportunity for each to try to set himself apart as a viable alternative to the poll-leading businessman Bruce Rauner, particularly in light of ongoing scandal that seems to be sapping support from the fourth candidate, state Treasurer Dan Rutherford.

Brady of Bloomington, making his third bid for the party’s nomination, cast himself as a “reliable Republican,” taking a shot at Dillard of Hinsdale for his role in a 2008 Iowa caucus campaign commercial for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Dillard wasn’t having that, though, declaring that he disagreed “with the president on almost anything he does. But when he supports an ethics bill, I’m going to do like (former Peoria Reps.) Ray LaHood and Bob Michel … taught us to” and reach across the aisle to praise that.

Brady also insisted he was the only one in the race who had unequivocally committed to removing the two-percentage-point tax increase Democrats forced through the Legislature in the waning hours of a 2011 lame duck session, while Dillard insisted that an overtaxed, overregulated Illinois needed someone at the helm who had balanced budgets before as Gov. Jim Edgar’s chief of staff.

“I’m the guy running for governor that’s actually said no to Mike Madigan and Mayor Daley,” he said, describing the 1991 budget talks in which as Edgar’s lead negotiator he helped see the Legislature kept in session longer to ensure there was no red ink.

Brady took credit too for being the only one of the four gubernatorial candidates to support pension reform, though he noted for the crowd that Dillard’s own running mate, Jil Tracy, had backed it. And he talked up his plan to eliminate the State Board of Education.

“I’m tired of bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., telling bureaucrats in Springfield to tell parents and teachers how to run schools,” Brady said.

Businessman Bruce Rauner had a scheduling conflict and did not attend the event, though he dispatched running mate Evelyn Sanguinetti, a city councilwoman from suburban Wheaton. She spoke about her family’s immigrant background, growing up poor and the need to seize opportunities and make reforms to systems including education to offer more opportunity.

“What Bruce and I are here to tell the people of Illinois is that we can be so much more than the safety net,” she said of state government.

Candidate Dan Rutherford was scheduled to attend but did not. His campaign has been beset by woes recently that include a lawsuit filed against him by a former treasurer’s office staffer alleging both sexual harassment and that he was forced to do campaign work on state time.

Senate candidate Doug Truax talked about the need to reform the recent health care reforms, expanding competition between insurance plans over state lines, and drew widespread applause for his promise to introduce as his first bill a piece of legislation that would require a review of all federal regulations every five years.

“These federal agencies come to life and they never die,” he said.

Truax is running against state Sen. Jim Oberweis of Sugar Grove —- who could not attend because of illness —- for the opportunity to try to unseat Sen. Dick Durbin, who is seeking his fourth six-year term.

Meanwhile, Rep. Tom Cross of Oswego and DuPage County Auditor Bob Grogan clashed over the nature of the work they’d do if they got their party’s nomination for treasurer.

“We don’t need to be in the position we’re in,” Cross said, outlining a platform that included taking the state to court if lawmakers and the governor don’t approve — as required by the Illinois Constitution — a balanced budget and pledging to start a government integrity unit within the office.

Neither is the job of the office as outlined in the law, Grogan riposted as he ticked off his qualifications as an accountant and certified fraud examiner who also put the county’s checkbook online for citizen review within weeks of taking over the post.

“I just want to do the job,” he said. “I want to do the task as assigned.”

Chris Kaergard can be reached at ckaergard@pjstar.com or 686-3135. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisKaergard.

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